Reggie Smith

DB Oklahoma

Grade

Overview

A highly-touted prospect out of high school, Smith made an immediate impact for the Sooners as a true freshman and played in all 39 games of his career before being held out of the Fiesta Bowl due to a broken big toe on his right foot. Smith lacks the elite speed of other big-name cornerbacks, but plays with instincts and toughness. He is one of the more versatile defensive backs of the 2008 draft due to his experience at cornerback and free safety.

Analysis

Strengths

Positives: Well-built athlete. ... Rare size for the position. ... Instinctive player. ... Lacks elite timed speed, but is rarely beaten deep due to his smooth hip turn and route-recognition skills. ... Competitive player who battles for the ball. ... Physical. ... Uses his hands well to re-route the receiver and disrupt the timing with the quarterback. ... Reads the action quickly and is quick to support the run. ... Explosive hitter. ... Versatile defender with experience at free safety. ... Talented return specialist who shows the ability to make the first defender miss and has the vision to run to daylight.
Negatives: Has to answer questions about his timed speed. ... Broken toe suffered before the Fiesta Bowl will have to get a clean bill of health at the Combine. ... Has been protected by the aggressive nature of Oklahoma's defense. Quarterbacks simply didn't have much time to challenge him deep while dealing with the Sooner pass rush.
Compares To: Quentin Jammer, Chargers